Page 36 of Claim the Light
“That’s good,” he says. “It’s important.”
He’s quiet again.
Then he says, “My father couldn’t protect my mother. He put up these walls and they were like…” He shakes his head. “They were like mirrors that I found myself looking into. I wanted to live up to his expectations, but all I found were reflections of myself. It’s hard to shake off the expectation of what I’m supposed to be.”
I press my free hand to his chest. “You’re already there for me. You’ve already protected my heart with words and smiles and sometimes even by putting your foot in your mouth. I want someone to stand beside me, not in front of me.”
He gives another heavy exhale. “It’s going to take me time, Sophia.”
“I’ll be here for it,” I say. “As long as it takes.”
The corners of his mouth twitch upward. “So you’re going to help me shower, huh?”
I try to blink away my tears, surprised by the heat in his eyes, but also welcoming it.
Dropping a slow kiss against his shoulder, I allow my lips to linger as I put on a voice. “Oh, no, what a shame I have to see you naked and run a cloth all over your body. Woe is me.”
A laugh rumbles through his chest, but he winces and presses his hand over mine where I rest my palm on his heart.
“Fuck,” he says. “I really do need your help.”
“Well, then,” I say, clearing my throat and attempting to clear my head of all my heated thoughts. “I’m putting my bossy pants on and you’re going to do everything I tell you.”
“Yes, mate,” he says, an intense heat bursting to life in his eyes that takes my breath away, but the desire in his expression is quickly replaced by a grimace as he takes a step forward. “Can you command the shower to come to us?”
I was so worried about Micah that I only now consider the room around us. Sky-blue tiles cover the walls from floor to ceiling. We’re currently standing in a small dressing room with another open door between us and the bathroom itself.
The shower is on the far side of the next room with transparent surrounds that curve around it on either side and leave an opening in the middle. The showerhead appears to be removable, so I’ll be able to hold it to wash Micah, and the space within the shower looks more than large enough for both of us.
Multiple small seats, which appear to be made from some sort of smooth resin, are scattered around the bathroom and dressing room, including one within the shower itself, clearly designed to allow someone to sit while showering. There are also handrails at the side of the shower and around the room.
A wall of shelves filled with towels is positioned on the near right of the dressing room while basins are on the left.
“We can make it to the shower,” I say. “Just lean on me.”
I draw on my new dragon strength as we plod across the space, using my foot to kick the first door closed on the way.
Like in the bedroom outside, the ambience in the bathroom is calming, the air is warm, and the walls remind me of a clear, blue sky.
Finally making it to the shower, I brace to take more of Micah’s weight as he settles into the chair.
“Sit there,” I order him, causing another upward twitch at the corner of his lips.
“Yes, mate.”
Every time he calls me his mate, a tingle of excitement passes through me and I have to fight to stay focused.
But focused, I remain.
Hurrying back to the dressing room, I gather up a mountain of washcloths and larger towels for when I need them. On my way back to Micah, I drag another chair over to the side of the shower and drop the towels onto it before I step back inside.
Turning the water on, I wait for it to heat up and fill the space with calming steam before I turn back to Micah. “Tell me where it hurts.”
His smile fades. “I wish I could pinpoint it.” His forehead creases as he rubs his chest. “It’s a strange coldness. I felt it in my arms and legs when we were walking through the city to the fountain, but I assumed I was simply cold. I thought it would go away. Now, more than anywhere else, it’s in my chest.”
I want to quell my worry, but I can’t. “It’s in your heart?”
“I don’t know how to describe it,” he says, his brow furrowing more deeply. “My heartbeat falters. Like it randomly misses a beat every now and then.” He shakes his head with a heavy exhalation. “I’m not making sense.”
